Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
I probably shouldn’t even comment on those Facebook stupid question posts, but I must confess to succumbing to them from time to time. Last week, someone posted the question “if you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?” Yes, that one got under my skin. I can’t even imagine a world where there was only one song. And if there were such a world, I don’t think I would even want to live in it. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t even want to be alive in such a dreadful place.
I love music. If I made a list of the most beautiful and meaningful things in my life, music would be near the top of that list alongside my wife Carlene, and dogs, and birds, the ocean, and love. Notice I left out Studebakers. I keep telling my wife I don’t love Studebakers; I like them a lot but they pale in comparison to the wonderful people in my life. But today’s story is about music and how important that is to me.
I didn’t really come from a musical family. I share no DNA with the likes of Mel Torme or Billie Holiday, but music was no stranger to our family. I had an uncle that was a music professor and orchestra conductor. No blood relation, he was the husband of my mother’s sister. He did influence my mother to make sure all of us five siblings took band in school, but me being the last, met no resistance when I wanted to quit band in junior high school. All of the other four were in the high school band. And out of the five of us, I was the only one that did anything with music at the college level and beyond. I often kick myself for dropping out back when it was easier to learn.
My response to that stupid Facebook question was that I could not limit my music to one song. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t even limit it to one genre. I remember being in a relationship with a woman that would buy a CD for one song that she liked, and she would put the CD into the stereo of the car and put her one song on repeat play. I couldn’t even make it to the grocery store without going crazy. I grew up in the 50s and by the time I was old enough to appreciate music, Rock and Roll was the latest and greatest. They now call that music Golden Oldies.
I wasn’t too young to appreciate Big Band music from the 30s and 40s either. I got my love of that genre by watching cartoons. Many of the cartoons I watched on TV were set to big band and classical music. I got to know Cab Calloway and Minnie the Moocher from watching Betty Boop cartoons. Cartoons from that era were masterpieces. I took it for granted as a child but came to that realization when I was studying music in college. I sang with the Choral and the Symphony Orchestra and I also sang in an Early Music Ensemble. I was a music major but had to give it up when life got in the way, and I was offered my dream day job. I later got heavily involved with Karaoke when that became a thing. I have an extensive musical background for someone that never really got an opportunity to work in that field of endeavor.
Having been exposed to so many musical genres, there is no way that I could choose any one of them. I’ve not been a big country music fan but being a Karaoke DJ I had to know some of it. I used to say that I knew enough country music to keep from getting beat up in the parking lot after the gig. I must also admit that country music has grown on me somewhat and I have a much bigger appreciation for it than I used to. I have a large CD collection and I listen to music when I’m working out. I like to rotate the music often as there is so much good stuff to listen to. I’m not a polished musician. I can play a few different instruments but am not polished on any of them. I can sing and Karaoke is still on my list of things I like to do, but I don’t do it very often anymore. I do have a home Karaoke machine and a fair selection of discs, but they collect more dust now than play time.
As far as that stupid Facebook question goes, I cannot, and will not limit my music to a single song or melody. There is too much out there to appreciate, and just the thought of having to limit myself to that brings up a vision of a world that will have to exist without me. Not that anyone would even miss me.
